The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1887-01-05
HOW exeuosEas - slReasEn.

HOW ExeloFERs ARE SURPRISED.
Remarkable i1isesveries. mat Some y
Them Lave kecentIy Made.
It happens nov and then that IN ex-
plorer lakes a sensational and wholly
unexpected discovery. Several unique
facts With regard to certain tribes of saw
ages have recently been ascertained. Mr.
y w. SAiontagu Kerr, for instance. has
found among the Makorikod tribe In
Africa, whom he IS the first 70 describe,
Runpovcer which they make themselves
for use in the flint lock muskets which
they obtain from native traders.
ftIis tribe live far from the east coast
and quite distance south of the Zambesi
river. Their elInpowder burns slowly,
and is ex1losIre force : far sinfcrior to
that of ours. but It answers their purpose
very wen, They mix the effiorescence
Of saltpcter with charcoal, which they
make nom the bark az the 7mufad tree
TINS mixture IS baked IN am earthen pot
for several hours. and then it Is pulyer-
zal and spread IN the sunlight. where it
is let for some time It IS not at al
likely that the Makonkoris. Ike the Chi
nese, discovered the art of making gum
powder Their fathers doubtless learned
II from the Portuguese or FROM slaves
= who haislived among white men on the
-. coast We hear stTarge things once In q
while of African tribes, but it was hardly
tO.beexpecte1 that a wholly unknown
tribe hetlunesi IN by the mountains of
inner Africa, would be found engaged In
the manufacture Of g1InpOyEder. I
A few yearssago Lieut.. Wissmann came
home and told a remarkable story about
tribes he had met with south OF the Congo
srivers who we're far more civilized than
- Fnact African Peoples his req rt IS now
fully Confirmed BY the travels In the same
- region of Lieits Ktnd and Tappenbeck.
They found last year, between the Congo
and the Saukuru rivers, many street lyilA
lagos, with large, gable rooted hnts stand
ing squGTely ON either SIDE Of The street,
inhabited by brownish red fine looking
people. These villagers have adyaneed
notions of comfort They sIeepon wooden
be,lsteads, instead OF on tie floor. Their
homes are the largest vet found IN Africa,
and are kept clean. Their streets are
a! out fifty yards wide, sometimes two OF
three miles long, and are carefully swept.
Refuse OF all SORTS is taken away and
thrown INTO pits dug for the purpose.
TlieJ are clever hunters, and train their
dogs to follow game. They carve pestles
ont Of ivory for pounding n1anioc, and
they have astonishing skin as wood carv-
ers- Lieut.. Kund brought home two
wooden CUPS representing negro heads,
which might readily be taken for Euro
ita pesl1 products, owing to their superior
workmanship. Behind the houses of this
poPulous Zenge tribe are neatly kept
gardens and plantations OF bananas.
When Lieut.. Holm visited an isolated
settlement of East GTeenlan.lers. two
years ago he was astonished to find
among these natives, of whom the world
had never heard, walrus spears of which
the handles were made of wood, al
though no timber grew there, and the
points of hoop iron. He ascertained that
the sea currents had brought these use
full commodities to the poor Esquirnau IN
the shape of wreckage and iron bound
bCHes.
1t has recently been shown that in
Iarts of Chill where European trees and
plants have been introduced the native
fora is actually disappearing and the inn
ported vegetation Is fourishing in its
place. Explorers are often surprised to
see the familiar plants and fruits of other
regions growing as exotics where they
did not dream of fintlfng them. Kerr
discovered the tomato In the far interior
Of Africa, and SchHeinfurth was much
astonished to find tobacco IN the heart of
the continent, where It was raised and |
enjoyed by natives who had never heard |
of its American home, though the name |
by which the weed was known among |
some tribes was doubtless derived from |
our name for it.-New York Sun.